International Journal of Hematology and Oncology 2023, Vol 33, Num 4 Page(s): 001-011
Synergistic Effects of Methotrexate and Suberoylanilide Hydroxamic Acid in Triggering Apoptosis of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Cells

Ergul M. ALTUNDAG1,2, Ayse M. YILMAZ1,2, Ceyda COREK1,2, A. Suha YALCIN1,2, Yavuz TAGA1,2, Semra KOCTURK2,3

1Marmara University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Biochemistry Istanbul, TURKEY
2Marmara University Genetic and Metabolic Diseases Research Center, Istanbul, TURKEY
3Dokuz Eylül University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Biochemistry, Izmir, TURKEY

Keywords: Chronic myeloid leukemia, Methotrexate, Suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid, Apoptosis
In this study, we have investigated the effects of suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA) against chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) cells in combination studies with methotrexate (MTX), which is a dihydrofolate reductase inhibitor used in combination therapy with other agents or alone. Combination of synergistic ratios of MTX and SAHA led to apoptotic cell death of CML cells via PARP cleavage, cytochrome c release and ROS increase in vitro. We suggest that combination of MTX and SAHA may minimize the toxicity and side effects of SAHA treatment, thus providing lower amounts of each drug in CML treatment.